NO ROOM: Developer Joseph Moinian has filed a plan with the Department of Buildings to build a hotel at this site at 237 W. 54 St.Riyad Hasan

Nothing stops Joseph Moinian from dreaming up grandiose plans.

The much-in-the-news developer — who’s facing foreclosure on a $93 million mortgage at 100 John St. and narrowly avoided losing 3 Columbus Circle to his banks — has, surprisingly, filed plans with the Buildings Department to raze a five-story Midtown building and replace it with a 34-story hotel.

The DOB is still reviewing plans for the hotel designed by Manhattan architect Gene Kaufman. But it’s already approved Moinian’s application to demolish the vacant, five-story building at 237 W. 54th St., between Broadway and Eighth Avenue.

However, no demolition permit was visible on the site yesterday, despite the looming presence of a sidewalk shed and scaffold around the eyesore.

Last year, we reported that Moinian had tapped Marcus & Millichap to find an equity partner for a joint venture at the site, but Marcus is no longer involved.

Moinian’s reps said yesterday, “There’s nothing to talk about because it’s very preliminary and at the beginning of planning.” Regarding the absence of posted permits, a rep said, “Joe says no demolition is being done, only some cleanup that doesn’t require a permit.”

However, for a “very preliminary” stage, Moinian’s DOB application sounds very precise — a 34-story structure with 80 feet of sidewalk frontage and 171,129 square feet of floor area. There will be a restaurant on the ground floor; 14 hotel rooms each on floors 2-19; nine rooms on the 20th floor; and 10 each on floors 21-34.

The new hotel would seem to create a nuisance for Harry Gross‘ Broadway Granite Development Co., which owns the larger next-door site on the corner of Broadway. As has been widely reported, Gross plans a 67-story Marriott Hotel on the now-barren lot. A new 34-story building next door would seem to block views from the Marriott.

Could Moinian’s filing be a ploy to entice Gross into buying him out? Reps for Broadway Granite didn’t get back to us.

Meanwhile, the Real Deal reported yesterday that LNR Partners had filed a foreclosure suit against Moinian after he defaulted on a $93 million mortgage at 100 John St., a rental apartment tower. Moinian declined to comment on the case.

Last year, Moinian managed to renegotiate troubled loans at several other buildings. Earlier this year, he staved off an attempt by Stephen Ross‘ Related Cos. to wrest control from him of 3 Columbus Circle when SL Green stepped in with a bridge loan — although many believe the deal puts Green firmly in the driver’s seat.

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William Macklowe, who recently bought 636 Sixth Ave. with ING Clarion Partners for $42.5 million, is wasting no time upgrading and repositioning the handsome, 1915-vintage office property. He’s tapped a crack Jones Lang LaSalle team to handle leasing and marketing for the six-story, 90,000 square-footer at 19th Street.

Mitchell Konsker and Matthew Astrachan are leading a JLL team that also includes Jonathan Tootell and Matthew Ginberg. Konsker said a capital improvement program will “offer a tremendous opportunity for tenants looking for above-standard ceiling heights and creative space.”

Macklowe has hired Studios Architecture to help with a “full repositioning” to include façade restoration, lobby improvements, new HVAC and infrastructure — aimed at appealing to the creative-industry tenants who have flocked to Flatiron and nearby Chelsea and Meatpacking Districts.

Currently, the fifth and sixth floors are available, along with smaller spaces elsewhere in the building. The improvements might include an as yet-unspecified “rooftop amenity.” Konsker said asking rents will be in the mid-$50s.

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It’s a peanut of good news amid Manhattan retail’s proliferating sprawl of empty shells — but Fifth Avenue between 48th and 49th streets is at last free of “discount” stores selling electronics, antiques and cheap rugs.

The recent openings of Sunglass Hut and United Colors of Benetton, while hardly Madison Avenue stuff, rid the block of its tourist-schlock look that was long an impediment to luring the highest-end retailers.

It isn’t going too far to say that Fifth Avenue’s prime shopping district — long defined as 49th-58th Streets — has been extended a full block south. “All it takes is one ‘Going Out of Business’ sign to scare off the tenants our clients want,” said one retail broker, who asked not to be named.

Lansco President Alan Victor, who was not in volved in the transac tions on the block, noted, “It strengthens the trend of legiti mate national and international re tailers going south of Saks.” Re cent leases below 48th Street include Tommy Bahama, Joe Fresh and Sym’s/Filene’s — the last a deal which Lansco did work on.